Positive character trait
Selfless
Putting others' needs before personal advantage.
3 ready sentences Updated Run by Adrian Nutiu
What it looks like
- Puts another person's real need ahead of their own convenience.
- Does useful work that nobody will thank them for.
- Shares credit, time or resources without keeping score.
Fits when another person's legitimate need is placed ahead of personal advantage
Not when self-neglect, coercion, or lack of boundaries is being praised
How to say it
Replace the brackets with what the person actually did.
There is no resume line for this one: claiming selflessness undercuts it. Show the work you did for others, or let a reference name it.
Fills [Name] in the reference and the report card comment, ready to copy.
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Reference or recommendation [Name] is selfless with their time: during [busy period] they [covered for or trained] colleagues, often ahead of their own work.
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Report card comment [Name] is selfless with classmates, sharing materials and helping others before finishing their own work.
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In a story, shown not told She gave her seat on the last bus to the man with the crutches, and walked home in the rain.
His selfless choice gave the last shelter place to the family with a baby.
The definition and the sentences are written for this site; dictionaries are used to check the sense. How words are chosen and reviewed.